Last updated August 17, 2022.
Preliminaries
- Register a domain name, or a subdomain.
- Set up the domain name or subdomain for hosting.
- Add SSL certificates
- Install WordPress.
- Select username (if allowed) and password.
- Set up a system for backups.
Site-wide
General settings and such
- Add Site Title and Tagline (
settings --> general) . - Delete or unpublish sample posts and pages as desired
- Choose permalink style (e.g., “post name” style)
- Make other adjustments in (
settings --> general) as necessary (such as time zone, date and time format, etc.) - As desired, change/add nicknames for users/authors. This will determine what name is shown for authors of blogs and such.
- Select and install a (new) theme if only just for starters, if desired.
- Select and install a more permanent theme.
- Comment-related decisions (
settings-->discussion)
Taxonomy
- Choose / specify new default category (that is, change “Uncategorized” to, say, “Miscellaneous” or “Potpourri.”
- Create a hierarchy of categories and subcategories.
- Manage categories as necessary (
Posts --> categories). - Keep tags to five to ten per post.
Plug-ins
- Post Types Order . . .
- WP Supercache (among other things, this will allow you to “delete cache” when reviewing recent edits to the website.
- A typography plug-in that will make automatic corrections such as swapping out apostrophes for tick marks. One example: wp-typography
- Post Type Switcher
- Jetpack
- Limit Login Attempts Reloaded (?)
- Child Theme Configurator, if desired.
Widgets
- Categories?
- Calendar?
- Text/HTML?
- Import new ones?
- Remove Meta widget before going live
Header
- Add header image, if desired
- Add logo, if desired
Footer
- Widgets
- Copyright info
- Disclaimers
- Remove Meta widget before going live
Menus
- Header
- Footer
- Other
- Use “order” setting under “page attributes” to change order of an automatic menu. (Do this quickly for bunch of pages by going to pages –> all pages and use “quick edit” links.)
- Submenus?
Design / CSS
- Background color?
- Style sheet(s) (including print style sheet)
Per post or page
- Check the slug and / or permalink.
- Add date of update, if desired.
- Comments on or off?
- Will there be a feature image for post summaries?
- Will the feature image, if used, be turned off within the post itself?
- Consider using excerpts. (Keep excerpts brief, summarize the content of the post, and don’t repeat the post title, says the author of WordPress: The Missing Manual.)
- While editing the post, you can change the post template, if the theme allows, in the right sidebar.
ToDos (for this site at least)
- Figure out how to make a list into a check list
;). - Keep track of assets and permissions (images sources, etc.)
- Customizing or tweaking a theme? Create a child theme first!